Manifolding attachment for typewriters



M. L. COSSITT. MANIFOLDING ATTACHMENT FOR TYPEWRITERS.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE13, 1921.

Patented Feb. 28, 1922.

I the MALCOLM L. COSSITT, 0F ALAMEDA, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR T0 MANIFOLD IMPRESSIONS CORPORATION, OF CARSON OI NEVADA.

CITY, NEVADA, A. CORPORATION MAN IFOLDIN G ATTACHMENT FOR TYPE-WRITERS.

Application filed June 13, 1921.

T 0 all whom it may concern;

Be it known that I, MALCOLM L. Cossrrr, a citizen of the United States, residing at Alameda, in the county of Alameda. and State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Manifoldihg Attachments for Typewriters, of which the following is a specification.

My invention'relates to that class of attachments for typewriters and other typing machines, such, for example, as calculating machines and the like, in which a manifolding ribbon is so associated with the machine as to be readily moved into and out of functional position.

The object of my invention is to provide a. nianifolding attachment of this class, simple in construction, effective in operation, and which can be readily applied to the machine without appreciable changes or alterations therein.

To this end my invention consists in the novel manifolding attachment which I shall now fully describe by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which' ig. l is a broken, top plan view, showing my attachment applied to the platen-carriage of a machine.

Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the same, the dotted lines showing the thrown-back posit-ion.

Fig. 3 is a front elevation of one end of same.

Fig. 4 is a perspective detail of the connection of the manifolding ribbon with one of the sliding sleeves.

Fig. 5 is a section on the line 5-5 of Fi 1 ig. 6 is a perspective detail of the lower extremity of the selective sleeve operating finger and the spring-latch carried thereby.

Fig. 7 is a side view of the same showing the finger in engagement with one of th sleeves.

Fig. 8 is a front view of the same.

Fig. 9 is a detail view showing the main ribbon, the plurality of manifolding ribbons and the several sheets of paper, in their proper functional relation.

I shall, for the sake of clearness, first describe my attachment and then set forth its application to a machine and its operation in connection therewith.

There are two standards 1, each having a Specification of Letters Patent.

which is fitted .cd to contact with the sleeves Patented Feb. 28, 1922. Serial No. 477,064.

foot 1, and said standards are connected in spaced relation by a rod 2 extending between their head portions. To the face of each standard are secured the fixed dependmg guides 3. here may be one guide for each standard or, as here shown, a plurality or set of guides for each, extending downwardly, parallel, and s aced from each other, as seen in Fig. 2. pon each guide is slldably fitted a sleeve 4, to which is de tachably connected a clip 5, on the end of a section, strip or len th ofmanifolding ribbon 6. See Fig. 4. ach ribbon extends between and is carried by the corresponding sleeves 4 upon corresponding guides 3 of the spaced standards, as seen in Fig. 1, so that by the movement of the sleeves, each ribbon may be independently caused to travel up or down.

In order to move and secure the operation in unison of the pairs of corresponding sleeves, there is a connection between them as follows.

In the outer face of each standard 1 is made a longitudinal T-groove 8, Fig. 1, in a tongue 9 of a slide 10, said slide carrying a rack 11. In the head portions of the standards and extending between them is journaled a rotatable shaft 12, carrying at each end a pinion 13, which pinions engage with the racks 11 of the respective slides 10. A thumb wheel 14 on the shaft 12 enables it to be readily rotated.

Carried by each slide 10 is a depressing finger 15, the point of which is formed with a shoulder 16, which lies above and is adapt- 4 Of the r bon carrying connections-Figs. 2, 3, 7 and 8. Thus when the shaft 12 is turned in one direction, and by means of the pinions and racks the slides 10 are moved down, the fingers 15 by contact with the sleeves 4 will cause the ribbons to travel down. Upon the reverse movement the fingers will leave the ribbon connections down, and the latter may be moved up again by hand directly, but, if desired, they may be moved up, by means of a pivoted spring latch 17 carried by the fingers 15, said latch being normally held back b contact with the back of the finger. as in P igs. 6 and 7, but adapted by manual release to be sprung forward to carry its foot portion 18 under and in contact with the sleeve; 4, as in Fig. 8. Thus, when the fingers move up, the latches 17 will lift the sleeves and carry the ribbons up.

Now, in order, when aplurality of ribbons are used, to invest the depressing fingers 15 with automatic ribbon-selective function, said fingers are pivotally mounted on their slides as shown by the stud 19, and are affected by springs 20 tending to press them forward, their movement being defined and limited by means of slots 21 made in them, playing over fixed studs 22 in the slides-Fig. 2. a

When all the sleeves 4 are up in their highest position, as in Figs. 2 and 3, the fingers 15 rest against the innermost pair of sleeves 4, with their shoulders 16 lying directly above and upon the tops of said sleeves. When the fingers move down, they will carry down with them this pair of sleeves and the innermost ribbon which the sleeves carry. When the fingers move up, leaving the pair of sleeves behind, the springs 20 will throw the fingers forwardly, but as they rise, their forward edges contacting with the sleeves of the next pair will gradually press the fingers back, until at the limit of upward movement, the fingers will spring forward again and fit their shoulders 16 over the tops of the sleeves of said next pair. Then, when the fingers move down again they will carry down with them, the second ribbon; and so on, with each ribbon. The ribbon or the group of ribbons, may be moved up again, singly or as a whole either directly by hand or by manually throwing into action the spring latches l7 heretofore described.

The movement of the slides 10 may be limited in any suitable manner, as, for example, by the stud 19 in the slide traveling in a groove 19 in the standard, as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 2.

In Fig. 1 I show the application of my attachment to the platen-carriage of a ty ing machine. In this figure, 23 is part of tl ie frame of the platen carriage; 24 is the platen, and 25 are bearings on the carriage in which pivots 1" of the standard. feet 1' are mounted. 26 is the main inking ribbon. 27, in Fig. 9, are the sheets of paper, be-- tween which the manifolding ribbons lie.

The standards 1 are thus pivotally mounted on the platen carriage at each end of the platen, and the depending guides 3 of the staidards lie in front of the platen at each en The operation of my attachment will now be readily understood. In the non-functional position of Figs. 2 and 3 all the man ifolding ribbons lie at their upper limit, extending the length of the platen parallel therewith and in lanes forward thereof. When one manifold ing ribbon is to be used, the innermost one is caused to travel down, to functional position in the line of type- When its use is no longer required, Similarly, by means 15 described, several be brought down to standards; means for mounting said standards on the platen-carriage of the machine one at each end of the platen; a fixed guide depending from each standard perpendicularly to and forward of the platen; a carrying member slidably mounted on each guide; a manifolding ribbon carried by and between said members; and means for moving said members in unison to carry the ribbon in a path perpendicular to the platen to and from a functional position in the line of type-impact, consisting of a slide carried by each standard and acting on the ribbon carrying members; a rack on eachslide; a rotatable shaft extending between the standards and pinions on the shaft engaging the racks.

2. A manifolding attachment for typewriters and the like, comprising a pair of standards; means for mounting said standards on the platen-carriage of the machine, one at each end of the platen; a fixed guide depending from each standard perpendicularly to and forward of the platen; a carrying member slidably mounted on each guide; a manifolding ribbon carried by and between said members; a slide carried by each standard; a finger carried by each slide and adapted to engage the carrying members and move them down on their guides to carry their ribbon to functional position in front of the platen in the line of type-impact, and means connecting said slides to effect their movement in unison.

3. A manifolding attachment for typewriters and the like. comprising a pair of standards; means for mounting said stand ards on the platen-carriage of the machine, one at each end of the platen; a fixed guide depending from each standard perpendicularly to and forward of the platen; a carrying member slidably mounted on each guide; a manifolding ribbon carried by and between said members; a slide carried b each standard; a finger carried by each s ide and having a shoulder adapted by contact with the top of the carrying members to move them down on their guides and carry their ribbon to functional position in front of the platen in the line of type-impact; a latch carried neonate by each finger adapted by contact under said members to lift them again; and means connecting said slides to effect their movement in unison.

4. A manifolding attachment for typewriters and the like comprising a pair of standards; means for mounting said standards on the platen-carriage of the machine one at each end of the platen; a plurality of parallel spaced fixed guides depending from each standard perpendicularly to and forward of the platen; a carrying member slidably mounted on each guide; a plurality of independent parallel manifolding ribbons carried by and between the corresponding pair of members; means for selectively moving said pairs of members to independently carry each ribbon to and from a functional position in the line of type impact.

5. A manifolding attachment for typewriters and the like comprising a pair of standards; means for mounting said standards on the platen-carriageof the machine, one at each end of the platen; a plurality of parallel spaced fixed guides depending from each standard perpendicularly to and forward of the platen; a carrying member slidably mounted on each guide; a plurality of independent parallel manifolding ribbons carried by and between the corresponding pair of members; means for selectively moving said pairs of members to independently carry each ribbon to and from a functional position in the line of type impact, consisting of a slide carried by each standard; a spring controlled swinging finger carried by each slide and adapted to automatically successively and separately engage each carrying member to necting devices for efiecting the movement of the slides in unison.

6. A manifolding attachment for typewriters and the like comprising a pair of standards; means for mounting said standards on the platen-carriage of the machine, one at each end of the platen; a. plurality of parallel spaced fixed guides depending from each standard perpendicularly to and'forward of the platen; a carrying member slidably mounted on each guide; a pluralitg of independent parallel manifolding rib ons move it down, and con-' ber operated by can carried by and between the corresponding pair of members; means for selectively moving said pairs of members to independently carry each ribbon to and from a functional position in the line of type impact v consisting of a slide carried by each standard; a spring controlled swinging finger carried by each slide and adapted to automatically successively and separately engage each carrying member to move it down, and connecting devices for efiecting the movement of the slides in unison; and a latch carried by each finger adapted to engage said slides to move them up again.

7. A manitolding attachment for type-- writers and the like, comprising a manifolding ribbon; movable ribbon-carrying members adapted to place said ribbon in and out of functional position; means for mounting said carrying members on the platen-carriage of the machine; a rotatable member; and means operated by the rotation of said member for moving the ribbon carryingmembers.

8. A manifolding attachment for typewriters and the like, comprising a plurality of independent manifolding ribbons; a plurality of independently movable ribboncarrying members, adapted to place the ribbons in and out of functional position; means for mounting said carrying members on the platen-carriage of the machine; a rotatable member; and means operated by the rotation of said member for selectively and independently moving said carrying mem bers.

9. A manifolding attachment for typewriters and the like, comprising a plurality of independent manifolding-ribbons;a plurality of independently movable ribboncarrying members adapted to place the ribbons in and out of functional position; means for mounting said carrying members on the platen-carriage of the machine; a hand-controlled rotatable shaft; and a memadapted to selectively engage the carrying members to move them independently.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this sp/eoification.

lAlJCOLM L. GOSSITT.

the rotation of the shaft 

